College football realignment rumors: Big Ten could target 1 state for expansion
College football conference realignment and expansion are at the forefront once again this offseason with rumors and speculation that at least three of the Power Five conferences want to make a move, and now there's some talk on the inside about a fourth as the Big Ten could want to get involved again if the opportunity presents itself.
What would that opportunity look like? ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy brought the subject up recently, noting that while he doesn't see the SEC making another move, he could see the Big Ten targeting the state of Florida for further expansion into another key media market.
"The Big Ten would be very open to expanding, but the place they would be most open to would be in the state of Florida," McElroy said.
By adding two schools based in Los Angeles — USC and UCLA, which will join up in 2024 — the Big Ten has already proven it doesn't regard geography as the most important measure for conference expansion, and by moving into the state of Florida, the league would be able to add even more value to its media deal, which is already college football's biggest, at over $1 billion per year.
Such a move would be an important message to media partners that the Big Ten would have leverage to get an even bigger contract in the future.
And would project the conference into arguably the most important state in the country, and right into the SEC's backyard, when it comes to football recruiting.
"That would be advantageous to NBC, that would be advantageous to Fox, and that would also be advantageous to CBS," McElroy said.
"Those are the three media rights holders for the Big Ten. So that's something to keep an eye on. The Big Ten is far more likely to expand right now, the SEC not so much."
And there might be two schools in the Sunshine State that the Big Ten could get their hands on if things get interesting in the near future.
Florida State and Miami were recently named as two current ACC members who are among seven teams in that league who are working behind the scenes to see if they can get out of their apparently air-tight grant of rights agreement.
That deal runs out in 2036 and ACC members would have to fork over a reported $120 million to the conference as an exit fee if they want to leave early.
That's a number that would hint strongly that nobody has the ability to leave the ACC for the next 13 years, but if the likes of Florida State or Miami or any other big brand in that league can't get the number they want from their existing conference, they could find a way to get it from another one.
And if that occasion ever arrives, the Big Ten could be at the front of the line.
More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | All Teams
Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks